ARTWORK!

IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN DESIGNING A ROOM...

 You've found THE perfect sofa, or chair, or some other must-have piece for your room. You have decided that this piece of furniture is EXACTLY what you need for your space and once its in the room...that’s it. You've carefully planned your entire budget for the room and, more often than not, you've left off the artwork for your space!

I mean, sure you could utilize that framed poster from Walmart you had lying around. I know, it’s already paid for, it’s already here, and it’s already framed! SCORE, right?

Nah.

Think about it...if you are going to invest your time and money into your newly designed room, do you really want to have one important detail look like it was an afterthought?! 

"Stuffed" @ceauxartwork

When you think of artwork, think of it as something that will be a daily feast for your eyes and your guest’s eyes. How many times have you been touched by a piece of art? Not just scrolling through Insta and stopping on a pretty picture and thinking "Hmm...that's nice." while you double-tap go on about your day. I mean that feeling of being completely awestruck by a creation that is so captivating and personal that it really becomes meaningful to you. THAT is what I want you to look for when selecting a piece of artwork for your space. Not just something that works with the colors or theme of your space, although you certainly can do just that, but wouldn’t you rather invest in something that touches your heart and brings a smile? 

"XHOSA MAN" @delmainedonson_art

Now, before you just go out all excited and buy a piece of art, you need to first figure out where you are going to place it and from what place in the room it will be looked at. If this is going to be a part of your focal wall, consider the size. If you have a space that is 7 foot wide by 6 foot high, a dinky 4 inch by 6 inch art piece isn’t going to really do it. You want to cover about two-thirds of your wall space. An easy solution to figuring out what size artwork to look for is to cut out some cardboard and play with different sizes on the wall. 

"Blue Two You" @winteralexandriamiller

Finding artwork for your space can be another stumbling block. The biggest question is always what kind of artwork to choose? Don't worry, you can quickly find out if you don’t know! A free solution to exploring art is to go to local museums and art galleries. Look around and see what types of pieces really intrigue you. Make notes about the types of art and artists you enjoyed and use those to help you find the perfect art for your space. Social media is another great option because there are TONS of artists who may not necessarily be mainstream, but have real talent that is only a hashtag away! 

Pro-tip: each of the pieces of art featured in this post were found through Instagram hashtags #supportblackart #blackartist

"Kendrick Lamar" @chez_christie

If you are looking to buy original artwork, think of it as an investment, but not one where you would want to resell it later. Art is personal and selling artwork at a profit is pretty tough. So, when investing in original art, find something that you truly love. 
 
You can find lots of original artwork on Etsy. I love Etsy! There are many different styles and price points so you don't have to worry about having a lack of options. I have found many pieces of art on Etsy for my clients, and it is one of a kind and affordable. 

"To Explore" @cupofkiwitea

If you are looking for a classic piece of art, but you can’t afford a real Van Gogh, fear not. You can still get a Van Gogh for your home. A really popular site is Art.com. There you can select a Van Gogh and have the option of placing it in a wide selection of frames or have it mounted on canvas. The great thing about this site is that you can select the color and type of frame, the number and color of the mats, the quality of acrylic glass, AND pick a color similar to your wall to see how it will look at your home. They also have hand painted art which gives you another option if you like art that has a great textural quality. 
 
When you have found that perfect piece that makes your heart sing, you can then use it as the base to finding to color scheme for the rest of your room. While looking at the artwork, take notice of the proportions of colors used. If the main color is blue and is used for 80% of the picture, see what the next largest use of color is and so on. You can get as many as four colors out of a picture to use as your color scheme. You will also be able to figure out what other complimentary pieces of art you can use by using this technique.

"Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump" Jean-Michel Basquiat

Selecting artwork is a very personal decision and should be made by the decision makers in your home collectively. Find a piece of art that everyone loves and try and find something that is timeless. If you select something that is trendy, you may have to reselect another piece of artwork in a few years when it has become apparent that your original painting of the burly man in a tutu just isn’t cutting it anymore.

Overall, it's all about what you love! So get rid of that art anxiety, go out and find that heart-stopping piece that you can't live without. Feel free to send us pics when you do ;)

"Hoop Dreams" @malik.roberts.art

**Special thanks and gratitude to the RIDICULOUSLY talented artists who allowed me to use their art for this blog post! Supporting black artists & entrepreneurs is extremely important to me, so please please PLEASE click each picture and go check out each of their pages to purchase/ support if you feel so inclined!**